Veach was quite candid as usual, and he revealed some interesting thoughts on the roster, the NFL draft and free agency.

“I feel good about the roster,” Veach said. “Certainly, we didn’t win the Super Bowl. So we can get better.”

The Chiefs have already begun improving their roster for the 2019 season during free agency. They’ve added some splashy free agents and they’ve added some smaller depth pieces, but each one of those signings plays a role in the Chiefs’ draft plans. Veach believes that free agency protects him and the rest of the team’s decision makers from feeling the need to reach for a player at a certain draft slot.

“I think that the things you do in free agency kind of protect yourself in the draft,” Veach explained. “So you don’t have to take a player that you feel is a second- or third-round value in the first round. Maybe some moves are big, like the Honey Badger, and some smaller moves.

“But I think what you do is you protect yourself. And that is really one of the key elements of free agency. You go in there and they don’t all have to be big name splashes, but you can get guys like a Bashaud Breeland or a Damien Wilson to protect yourselves from over-drafting players.”

Signing depth pieces allows the Chiefs a lot of flexibility in the draft. That flexibility starts in the first round, and extends all the way to last. Veach added that he feels good about where the Chiefs are to start the season specifically ahead of the NFL draft. Getting free agents at several positions of need have allowed the Chiefs to approach the draft from a best-player-available mindset. It’s a mindset that’s often preached in the NFL, but rarely practiced. These acquisitions also perhaps allowed Veach to relax on his aggressive draft tendencies. Tendencies that have seen him trade up to acquire players in the past.

So what will the Chiefs do in the first round of the draft? According to Veach, you can at least take one position off the table:

“I feel like this year with the exception of quarterback, everything is on the table in that first round.”

The 2019 free agency period has allowed the Chiefs to keep an open mind moving forward. They won’t be forcing any picks based on sheer need, but they won’t be relaxing either. With the ultimate goal being a Super Bowl appearance, they’ll do what is in the best interest of reaching that goal.

“We’re just looking to find another great player, period,” Veach explained. “Offense or defense. The cool thing about having the league MVP is that he makes people around him that much better. That’s a luxury we have. If we can get him another tool, we absolutely will. I think in general we’re looking for playmakers on both sides of the football. I don’t think we’re going to be geared toward offense because Pat (Mahomes) is so good, but we’re also aware that Pat is so good. So if there is somebody out there that can make him better we’ll be all for it.”

In the first round, this may mean adding another weapon for Patrick Mahomes, or it may mean adding an impact defender. Until we see the cards fall, we won’t entirely know for sure.

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